


November 4th

by StackerPentecost



Series: November Writing Prompts [4]
Category: Marvel, The Punisher (TV 2017)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, Mutual Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-05
Updated: 2018-11-05
Packaged: 2019-08-18 20:21:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,319
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16523987
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StackerPentecost/pseuds/StackerPentecost
Summary: Karen isn't very good at picking movies, so Frank invites her back to his apartment to watch something better. But in the end, the movie is the last thing on their minds.This is for a November Prompt List.Today's prompt was: 'I am never, ever letting you pick what we watch, ever again'.





	November 4th

“Was it bad? I feel like it was bad.” 

Frank gave a soft snort. “It was a little bad, yeah.”

Karen sighed, looking down at her feet. “I’m sorry. I really thought a movie would be a normal thing to do. A fun, normal thing. Of course I’d have to go and pick a terrible movie.”

Frank rolled his eyes gently, placing a gentle hand on Karen’s shoulder. That was a habit of his. It was like he needed to reassure himself that Karen was actually there in front of him, that she was real and things were for once, relatively calm in their little world. “It’s no big deal. It was nice to go to the little theater in Chinatown, ya know? It reminds me of the way things were when I was a kid.” Frank chuckled to himself. “I must sound like an old man to you.”

Karen shrugged gently as they walked down the sidewalk together. “I like when you talk like that.” She admitted, smiling softly. “You sound..worldly.”

“And that’s a good thing?”

“I think so.” A fleeting smile came to her lips, though it didn’t reach her eyes. She didn’t smile much these days, even without the weight of the world on her shoulders. It bothered Frank.    
  
He stopped walking, pushing his arms further into the pockets of his hoodie. Karen had been in step with him, so she stopped when he did, clearly confused. “Was is it?” 

Frank sighed softly, taking in the shops around them. Suddenly the world felt so..dull. Karen wasn’t smiling, her eyes, even when she looked at him, had barely had any light to them. He racked his brain for something, anything, he could to make her feel something other than the things that pressed heavily in her mind. 

“Do you want to go back to my place?” He surprised himself when he said it. Karen didn’t even know where he lived. Every time they met up, it was at a neutral location after getting in touch on a burner cell. It was what they were used to and had been for some time. But maybe it would be good to have a change of pace. But then it hit him what that could imply.    
  
“I mean, you don’t have to. I’m not trying to impose on you. I just thought we could sit around and watch another movie.”

She quirked an eyebrow, pursing her lips softly. “I didn’t think you would own a tv. You’re not exactly the type.” 

Frank huffed out a laugh at that. She was more than right about that. “It came with the apartment. It’s not great, but I’ve got Die Hard. And it’s almost Christmas, right? ‘Supposed to be a Christmas movie?”

Karen played with a string at the hem of her jacket. “It’s November, Frank.”

Frank’s face fell, taking that as meaning no. “Right, it’s fine, let me just -”

“I didn’t say I wasn’t gonna watch it. I’m simply pointing out that is actually November still.” Karen came up to him, hesitantly linking their arms together. “Is this okay?”

Frank nodded wordlessly, not wanting to betray how something so simple impacted him so greatly. How she impacted him so greatly.

“Then let’s go. Lead the way.”

* * *

 

The apartment was about what she expected. Tucked down a small alley, you would almost certainly miss the entrance if you weren’t looking for it. It made perfect sense, Frank was great at hiding in plain sight. He produced a key and unlocked the door, waiting politely for her to go inside before he followed. 

It took a minute for Karen’s eyes to adjust to the dim light. The apartment itself was only a few small rooms. The main room had a small kitchenette in one corner and a couch dominating most of the space with a small tube tv on a stand in front of the couch. There were two other worn doors, one that clearly went to the bathroom and another that went to the bedroom. The walls were a dull shade of white and the floor was a scuffed linoleum. 

“Yeah, I know, it’s not the prettiest place in the world.” Frank murmured softly and closed the door, slipping off his coat. Karen did the same, and they placed them both on a coat hanger by the door. 

  
“Do you want something? I ain’t got a lot, I’ve can make coffee though. I think I’ve even got some tea too, if you wanted.”

  
Karen took a seat on the couch, crossing her legs and placing her hands in her lap. “What kind of tea?”

“Oolong.”

“That would be nice, if it’s not too much trouble.”

She heard Frank moving around behind her, a tea kettle sloshing as it was filled with water and scraping against metal when it was placed on the burner to heat. It didn’t long before the kettle was singing and Frank came up to her side with two mugs, the opposite end of the tea bag hanging over the lip. She took it with a soft thanks and was happy to have something to warm her hands on. The apartment was a little chilly to say the least and outside it had started to rain.

Frank quietly set his tea on a small nightstand next to the couch and found the movie, a VHS, from an ancient store of tapes beneath the tv. Right along with them was an ancient VHS player, which seemed to have not given up yet despite being so old. The tape slid inside with a click and he pressed play, before he stepped back, settling down on the worn cushions next to Karen.

As they waited for the movie to start, she sipped from her mug, pleased with the way it coursed through her body, warming every bit of her, all the way down to her toes. She wiggled them in her flats, happy they weren’t freezing anymore. 

“This is very hipster of you, ya know.”

Frank wrinkled his nose a little, “What are you talking about?”   


“Inviting me back here, the tea. Very hipster.” 

Frank snorted softly. “Ain’t nothing hipster about being a gentleman.”

She ducked her head, doing that thing where she pushed her hair behind her ear, her eyes in her tea mug. He had to swallow down the ache that rose in his chest. This was a regular occurrence when he was around her.

The movie began to play after a while, Frank let himself get lost in it. If he did that, then he wouldn’t be constantly aware of how close Karen was. She had finished her tea and tucked her legs up underneath her on the couch. She looked beautiful, even in the muted light cast from the tv. It amazed him how deeply simply looking at her impacted him.

Outside the rain picked up, and the coldness in the room increased. Frank could tell she was cold by the way she kept fidgeting. Frank didn’t think about it, he moved closer to her, slipping his arm around her shoulders. She fit easily into his side, like that was how it was supposed to be, like she belonged there. 

“Is this okay?” Frank tilted his head down to ask her softly. 

Karen bit her lip but nodded slowly, offering him a gentle smile. “It’s okay.” His breath caught in his throat when she pressed closer, almost  _ snuggling _ into his side. She seemed perfectly calm and content, but his heart was beating hard against his ribcage, threatening to break it and splatter his feelings all over the floor. It got even worse when her head found his shoulder.

Several moments passed, the only sound being the soft fire of gunshots coming from the tv. When she spoke, her voice was so soft that he almost didn’t hear it, “This is how it’s supposed to be.”   


Frank tilted his head slightly, trying to get a good look at her. “What do you mean?”

She glanced down, running her thumb in circles over the back of her hand. She didn’t respond.

  
“You can tell me, Karen. By now, I hope you know that you can trust me.”   


She chewed her lip, still unwilling to look at him. Karen was normally a forward and honest person, but Frank did things to her that no one else did. It was like his very presence disrupted every rational thought in her head until they were all about him. And to be honest, she’d come to almost enjoy that, to let herself drown in it. It was like a safety blanket, snuffing out all the worry she held inside her. 

“This is how it’s supposed to be,” She finally said, lifting her head and looking at him. Her eyes were shining with emotion though her features were calm. “This is how it’s supposed to be. You and me. It’s just...it’s how it’s supposed to be. If I had nothing else but that, I would be happy.”

“You can’t mean that..”   
  
“Why can’t I?!” She burst out, her hand clenching at her side. “It’s true. I know what you’re gonna say, how you’re so dangerous and you’re a target and I get that for Christ’s sake, I just don’t care, even if I should. I am as much of a target as you are.” She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath in through her nose before exhaling through her mouth. “If you asked me, right now, to leave..” Her voice grew quiet, “to just leave and go wherever, be it down the street or halfway across the world, to leave all this, I’d do it in a heartbeat.” She bit her lip to keep it from quivering. “You have no idea what you do to me, Frank. You really don’t.”

The words settled in the air between them, tangible and thick, taking the breath from Frank’s lungs. He had never thought anything would come of this and he had resigned himself to this fact. He convinced himself that this was okay, that it needed to be this way. He never expected her to do something like this, but he also wasn’t entirely surprised either. Karen was always keeping him on his toes. And the idea of leaving with her, just leaving without a second glance, going wherever they wanted and being able to just breathe and be normal was extremely appealing. But the logical part of Frank, the soldier in him, reminded him that the possibility of something like that was almost slim to none. 

She must’ve seen all this cross his face. He watched the light leave her expression again, returning to cool calmness right before his eyes. Before he could stop her, she was on her feet, going for her coat. “Thanks for the movie, Frank.”

Frank ran a hand through his hair, a deep, exasperated sigh leaving him. He stood up, unable to keep from trying to stop her. “Karen, you have to understand-”

“I don’t have to understand shit.” She spat at him, slipping her arms into her jacket. She was pointedly refusing to look at him.

“Karen, let me explain-”

“I don’t wanna hear it, okay?! I understand where you stand so just please, save it!

Frank felt his anger rising. Before she could make it out the door, he grabbed her arm, though careful not to squeeze enough to hurt. “Karen, stop!” 

His shout made her freeze. Her expression told him that her calm facade was threatening to come crumbling down. She was about to break and he knew he had to do something, or she was going to splinter apart right in his hands. 

“You said I have no idea what I do to you. Well, you have no idea how much I would love to simply fuck everything and leave with you. But..” Frank clenched his jaw at the flood of emotion that washed over him. “I can’t lose you, Karen. I can’t. I won’t. It’s almost happened too many times and eventually my luck is gonna run out and if that happens…” The words lodged in his throat. Thinking of something like that happening made him feel physically ill. He wouldn’t survive that. He’d sooner eat the barrel of gun than have to deal with that again. 

He jolted minutely when he found her hands on his cheeks, soft skin scraping against his beard. God, the way she looked at him. He didn’t deserve it. Nonetheless, he couldn’t keep himself from leaning into the touch. 

“If you won’t leave with me, then I can’t stand to be at arm’s length anymore. It’s not enough, it’s never enough. It hurts too damn bad for me to be next to you like that. I may as well be a world away.” She confessed, sniffling softly. A stray tear trailed down her cheek. Frank leaned their foreheads together, the whole thing feeling like reliving another life. The back of his hand found the tear and wiped it away, though more soon followed. “Let me be yours.” Her voice was on the edge of desperate. “Let me love you.”

Frank stopped thinking after that. All he could feel was how soft her lips were, how she tasted like tea and the buttered popcorn they’d had at the theater. The kiss felt like some long held tension between them had finally relaxed and things felt more right in the world. It was passion and release and everything in between. When they parted, they didn’t go far, still leaning into each other for support. 

“Stay.” Frank’s voice was barely above a whisper, his hands stroking through soft blonde strands. “I promise you don’t ever have to leave again if you don’t want to.”

Frank’s chest ached when he saw a smile, a real smile come to Karen’s lips, one that made her eyes warm. “I don’t. I’m already home.”

 


End file.
